1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ink jet printers, and in particular to an improved collector means for capturing ink droplets not used for imprinting the record.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Presently known ink jet printers, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,203 incorporate a gutter assembly for collecting those charged ink droplets that are not selected for imprinting, or those partially charged droplets that have been misdirected or displaced from the path of the ink stream in the direction of the medium or paper. It is apparent that it would be desirable to collect a maximum amount of the ink not used for imprinting, and that the ink is recycled for further use. In prior art machines, gutters and deflection plates are provided for this purpose but are not deemed to be optimally efficient. Ink droplets that are spuriously deflected or misplaced, such as those that are only partially charged, may cause spotting or distorted images on the record, or may splatter against the electrodes resulting in ink mist and other deleterious conditions.